Unloading apparatus.



PATBNTED AUG. 16, 1904.

R. H. DEMPGY. UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PATENTED AUG. 16, 1904.

PIES- R. H. DEMPCY. UNLOADING APPARATUS;

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

WITNESSES:

UNITE STATES Patented August 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH H. DEMPCY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO TATE JONES &COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA,

A CORPORATION.

UNLOADING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,548, dated August16, 1904. Application filed January 22, 1904. Serial Nol90,l46. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RALPH H. DEMPOY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and usefulImprovements in Unloading Apparatus, of which improvements the followingis a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements inmechanism for handling materials, as in unloading cars, &c'. As cars aregenerally constructed with two hoppers or discharge-openings, it iscustomary to construct the receiving-hopper, which is 10- 5 cated belowthe level of the railway-track, of

a length somewhat greater than the distance between thedischarge-openings in the car. In order that the sides of thisreceiving-hopper may have the necessary inclination to permit thematerial flowing down through the discharge-opening of the hopper to areceiver, as a transfer-belt or conveyer, &c., which is arranged belowthe hopper, the pit or excavation below the track must be quite deep. 5The present invention has for its object such a construction andcombination of hopper, discharge and receiving mechanism as will avoidthe deep pits now necessary and will consequently avoid the loss due tothe extra vertical lift incident to the deep pits.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved car discharging or unloadingplant. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on a plane indicated by the lineII II,

Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sections on planes indicated,respectively, by lines III 4 III and IV IV, Fig. 2.

In the practice of my invention I provide one, two, or more hoppers 1,which are arranged in a pit or excavation below a line of track 2 oradjacent to a line of track, as 3. In

the former case the material would drop directly into the hopper orhoppers, while in the latter case a chute 4 is provided for conductingthe material from the car to the hopper. The sides of the hopper orhoppers are given an inclination somewhat greater than 5 the angle ofrest of the material tobe unloaded, so that such material will flow downonto a discharge-platform 5. This platform extends beyond thedischarge-opening 6 of the hopper, said opening being made in one of thesides of the hopper such a distance that the material flowing throughsuch opening will be stopped by and rest upon the platform. In otherwords, a line, as as, drawn from the upper edge of the opening 6 andhaving an inclination corresponding to the angle of rest of the materialwill not pass beyond the end of the platform. By this construc tion anymaterial flowing from the hopper onto the discharge-platform will beretained 5 thereon, requiring the use of a pusher to dislodge it. Thisdischargeplatform is provided with side or retaining plates 7 to preventthe material from dropping over the edges of the plate or platform 5. 7

The material is forced from the platform 5 by a pusher 8, which isreciprocatecl in any suitable manner, as by a crank-pin 9 on thepower-driven shaft 10 and connected by the pitman 11 to the pusher. Themeans employed for discharging the material from the hopper issubstantially similar to that described and claimed in application,Serial No. 131,925, filed by me November 19, 1902.

The discharge end of the platform 5 extends over a suitable receiver,which may be of any desired form or construction. In the constructionshown, where the material is to be transferred directly, 'I employ abelt 12, passing around pulleys 13 and 14, one of which 5 is driven andsupported intermediate of the pulleys by two series of rollers 15 and16. As

.shown in Fig. 4, the rollers 16 are so arranged as to turn up the edgesof the belt so as to form a continuous pocket for the reception of 9 thematerial. The inclination and length of this conveyer will be dependentupon the distance and elevation of the point to which the material is tobe conveyed.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that thedischarge-platform 5 may extend horizontally from the lower end of thehopper or at an upward or downward inclination therefrom, provided theangle of upward inclination does not exceed the angle of rest of thematerial. When two hoppers are employed, the receiver, as theconveyer-belt, is arranged between them and the dischargeplatformsextend in opposite directions over the conveyer. As stated in theapplication referred to, the rate of discharge of the material iscontrolled by the reciprocating pusher and can therefore be adjusted inaccordance with the rate of travel of the conveyer.

It is characteristic of my improvement that the position of the receiveris not dependent upon the position of the hopper, as thedischarge-platform can be extended to any desired distance and in anydesired direction from the hopper and within certain limits at anydesired angle from the lower end of the hopper. The receiver is soarranged that the part or point at which material is deposited thereontomay be above the plane of a side, as a, of the hopper.

I claim herein as my invention v 1. In an apparatus for handlingmaterialthe combination of a receiving-hopper discharging horizontally andhaving a stationary point of delivery, a conveyer moving in orapproximately in a horizontal plane at an angle to the direction ofdischarge of material from the hopper and so arranged at one side of thedischarge-opening of the hopper that the point at which the material isreceived by the conveyer is above the plane of the side of the ho pper,substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for handling material the combination of a conveyerand two or more hoppers so arranged with reference to the conveyer thatthe point at which the material is received by the conveyer is above theplane of the sides of the hoppers, substantially as set forth.

3. In an apparatus for handling material the combination of a hopperdischarging horizontally and having a stationary point of delivery, aconveyer moving in or approximately in a horizontal plane at an angle tothe direction of discharge of material from the hopper and so arrangedthat the point at which the material is deposited on the conveyer isabove the plane of the side of the hopper, and means for causing themovement of the material from the hopper onto the conveyer,substantially as set forth.

4:. In an apparatus for handling material the combination of two or morehoppers, a conveyer having the point at which the material is depositedthereon above the point of intersection of planes coinciding with thesides of the hoppers, and means for causing the movement of the materialfrom the hoppers onto the conveyer, substantially as set forth.

5. In an apparatus for handling material the combination of two or morehoppers, means for causing a regulated discharge of material from saidhoppers, and a receiver arranged above the intersection of planescoinciding with the sides of the hoppers, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RALPH H. DEMPCY. Witnesses:

DARWIN S. WOLGOTT, F. E. GAITHER.

